7:15 p.m. at Bear Mountain Arena
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It’s turning out to be a perfect match.
When Mike Stiliadis was looking for a change of scenery from his Oakville Blades to another Ontario Junior A Hockey League team, little did he know that he would end up traded four provinces to his west.
But since his move to the Victoria Grizzlies, the 18-year-old’s fit is as snug as his goalie glove clamping down on a puck.
The Woodbridge, Ont., native has proven his worth since moving to Victoria, where his grandparents Bill and Blanche Jeffers reside.
“I wanted a trade and nothing was working, then Victoria called and the next thing I knew I was out here,” said Stiliadis. “It all happened pretty fast and I’m pretty happy about it.
“We’re in first place [in the Island Division] and we’re ranked 11th in Canada, so it was definitely the right move,” he said of transferring to the B.C. Hockey League.
To date, he’s 11-7 in 18 games with a goals-against average of 2.77 and save percentage of .905, ninth best in the league among goalies who have played 10 games or more.
He has integrated well with Brady Rouleau and filled in more than admirably when called upon, like last weekend as Rouleau sat out with a minor injury and affiliated player Alec Dillon came in as a backup.
Stiliadis posted back-to-back wins in Powell River and at home to Surrey in which he allowed just three goals against two difficult opponents.
He’ll get the call at some point this weekend as the Grizzlies are home to Prince George tonight at 7:15 and then in Alberni Valley on Saturday at 7 p.m. and back at Bear Mountain Arena on Sunday at 6 p.m. versus Cowichan Valley.
“I think we’ve complemented each other,” Stiliadis said of joining Rouleau. “We’ve gone in pushing each other and it remains that way. I think the coaches like it, they’re confident in both of us and they can put in whoever they want on any given night.”
Rouleau, who has dealt with nagging injuries, is 8-3 in his 13 appearances with a 2.66 GAA and .909 save percentage, doing what was expected of him when he came over from the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
Stiliadis was more of an unknown who was eventually invited to tryout out for Canada West for the World Junior A Challenge after his solid start in Victoria.
“He’s a real good goalie,” sad Grizzlies general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick. “We probably didn’t realize how good he was at the very beginning.
“We knew he was good because he came with good numbers, but he hadn’t played in B.C. before and he’s starting to make a name for himself.”
